An Analysis of The Golden Compass by
Philip Pullman from a Writer's
Perspective

The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, is an important text in that it
serves as the doorway into the His Dark Materials trilogy. "His Dark
Materials" is a phrase from Milton's Paradise Lost, referring to the raw
material out of which God creates order. There may be other texts in the series
with more moving or more profound elements, but they all depend of the success
of this first to get the reader engaged in a world not of his or her own.

The class is, of course, aware of the controversy which has
sprung up around this series caused in part by Pullman's own outspoken critical
view of Christianity and Organized religion. His own web page contains
both his denial of having an agenda and that any messages found are brought
there by the readers. He ends his refusal to explain what his books mean
with the clever point "Anyway, I'm not in the message business; I'm in the “Once
upon a time” business" (Pullman
"My Books"). Of course, on the other hand, this same web page informs us that he
plans to come out with a monetization of Christ's life "The
Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ" to be published next April by
Canongate as part of their Myths series. In the write up Pulman notes "I've
always been fascinated by the two parts of the name of Jesus Christ, and by the
difference between them" (Pullman
"Jesus and Christ"). None of this is important to the overt reasons we are
examining his work.

Clearly Pullman has written an excellent text, the winner of .
As writers what do we observe?

Elements which Seem to Work:

Textual Gaps: In class we have noted that these are the elements which
tell the reader that he or she is "not in Kansas anymore." In The
Golden compass readers find themselves within a world very much like ours,
but not quite. Yes it is similar: There's an Oxford and a London.
Cleary up north there are Danish people and most of the things, kitchens,
stoves, boats, within the world have the same names as ours. However
the world gets some of its exotic in that it is in a time similar to our past.
Dirigibles the the mains means of transportation, sailing ships and steamers
compete on the seas. It feels a lot like the turn of the 19th to twentieth
century. But then there are other things. On the very first page
readers meet Lyra and her daemon--a sentient being who is a constant
companion in animal form. Wikipedia describes it as "the embodiment of her
soul." Also by the middle of the second chapter we learn that up north there are
polar bears who are intelligent--and who feel inferior to humankind and long to
have daemons themselves. Also it is revealed but not explained that in
this world there is something of great importance known simply as Dust.

Characters:

There are no throw away characters in The Golden Compass. Even
victims who are carried away and not seen again have a history.

No simple good or evil characters. The Oxford Master is first seen
planning to poison Lord Asriel, Lyra's "uncle," but we learn later that he hated
to plan itself and he has always had a deep affection for Lyra. Mrs.
connection to Lyra is even more complicated first a radiant role model, then an
ogre who leads those who steal children, and also a loving mother.

Showing Not Telling: Pullman shows his skill over and over throughout the narration by indicating
his characters attitudes or plans with actions rather than overt narrative.

Things Not So Successful:

The consistence of the World: Daemons are with every human yet
they fade out of the narrative when they do not serve a purpose. And
sometimes--especially within the cramped confines of a dirigible--one wonders
how they fit.

The Repetition of Plot Elements: Some find the mini-adventures
of Lyra redundant and boring. However, others defend these as helpful in
engaging Pullman's target audience--children.